


Worst Kept Secrets

by LovelyLapis



Category: Broadchurch, Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Aka Lapis being a trashcan, Broadchurch is a warning by itself, F/M, Moriarty is not as big of a dick, The crossover fic that nobody asked for, This is Moriarty though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-04-01
Packaged: 2019-04-01 06:38:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13992597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovelyLapis/pseuds/LovelyLapis
Summary: Introducing the most dysfunctional family since the Holmes kids!





	1. Meet the Morans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing the most dysfunctional family since the Holmes kids!

“Katherine Alexandra!” The shout broke through the quiet morning as the slender blonde woman appeared in the doorway of the small cottage. The two-year-old looked up guiltily from where she’d been smearing her brand new watercolour paints all over the garage door. 

“Elisabeth Jessica!” a mocking call echoed from just behind her. The blonde turned to punch the dark-haired Irishman in the arm. “Oi!”

“You’re really lessening the effectiveness of my parenting, Jim,” Elisabeth told him. 

“But mocking you is in my job description,” Jim replied with a shrug. 

“Yeah, well, you’re fired,” she joked. After another few seconds, she took a breath and recomposed herself. “Katie, sweetheart, come here.”

“It pretty, Mummy,” Katie said with a lisp. 

“Yes, but you need to ask permission, for one,” Elisabeth told her, squatting down to get on eye level with her daughter. “Besides, watercolours aren’t meant to paint garage doors.”

“But it pretty,” Katie protested.

“Maybe if you’re very good, Uncle Sebby will let you help when he repaints it later this week, yeah?” Elisabeth suggested, glancing over her shoulder to where her older brother was lounging on the sofa.

“Long as you’re alright with it, Lizzie,” Sebastian replied, looking up from the battered paperback in his hand. Katie grinned and abandoned the paints to run and hug her uncle, smearing paint on his jeans as she climbed into his lap.

“Still glad we decided to move?” Jim asked, dropping his voice to just above a whisper as he turned to his sister-in-law. 

“I stand by what I said,” Elisabeth answered. “I’m giving her the best chance I can.” 


	2. One Hell of a First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elisabeth starts her new job, but first, she has to meet hew new boss.

“Sir, we’ve got that new SOCO starting today, don’t forget,” DS Ellie Miller called, rapping at the doorframe to DI Alec Hardy’s office. It still pissed her off that he’d gotten her job, but she had to shelf that.

“Just send them in when they get here,” Alec replied, not looking up from the mountain of paperwork on his desk.

“ _She_ ,” Ellie corrected. “God, do you even read the files they give you?”

“I haven’t exactly gotten around to it!” Alec snapped, using the pen in his hand to gesture to the clutter in front of him.

 ~~~~

“Alright, I’m off!” Elisabeth called, crouching to kiss her daughter’s forehead. “I’ll keep my mobile with me. Just call if anything goes wrong-”

“Lizzie, we’ve been raising Katie as much as you have,” Sebastian cut her off. “Don’t worry so much. Go enjoy your first day.”

“Bye-bye, Mummy!” Katie chimed in.

“Bye, Liz!” Jim called from his bedroom. It was before ten, so he didn’t bother getting up. Elisabeth grabbed her keys and left, waving to her brother and daughter again before getting into her silver minivan and driving off.

 ~~~~

“Elisabeth Moran, here for my first day,” Elisabeth said as she walked over to the front desk.

“Have a seat. DS Miller will bring you back to DI Hardy in a moment,” the officer at the desk replied. Elisabeth sat down, trying to ignore that nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. It had to be a coincidence, right? Alec Hardy was still in Sandbrook, he _had_ to be. What were the odds, really? She sat there, lost in thought for a few minutes, until a woman with frizzy brown hair walked over.

“SOCO Moran?” the woman asked.

“DS Miller, I hope?” Elisabeth asked, standing up.

“Ellie,” the woman said, shaking Elisabeth’s hand. “Bit of a warning, DI Hardy’s in a shit mood.”

“Isn’t he always?” the officer behind the desk muttered. Ellie snorted.

“Yeah, but more so than usual,” she replied. With that, she led Elisabeth to the DI’s office, knocking on the doorframe. “SOCO Moran to see you, sir!” Elisabeth walked into the office at a nod from Ellie, freezing. It _was_ Alec, and he hadn’t changed a bit since she’d last seen him.

“Liz,” he choked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know very little about how police shit works in the UK. I'm an American.


	3. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Writer's block is a bitch.

“What’re you doing in Broadchurch?” Alec asked, setting his pen down.

“Trying to get a job, mostly,” Elisabeth deadpanned. Alec snorted quietly. 

“Is this where you disappeared off to?” he asked. “After Sandbrook, I mean.”

“No,” she answered. “I went to Dublin with my brother. Just moved here a couple weeks ago.”

“Dublin? Why Dublin?” It was all Alec could do to keep up the pretence of casual conversation. 

“His husband has a house there. I was… sick. So I stayed there until I got better, then started looking for work after that,” Elisabeth explained. Alec tried not to notice the way she hesitated. There was a moment or two of semi-awkward silence. 

“Well, you haven’t changed a bit,” he finally commented. She let out a soft laugh. 

“Neither have you,” she replied. After that, he decided to shelf his personal feelings for a little while and get this meeting over with.

~~~~ 

“No, I’m not fucking with you, Jimmy,” Elisabeth said, pressing her phone to her ear to hear him better. She was on her lunch break, and had decided that the most important thing to do was to step outside and call her brother-in-law, as Sebastian was out at the park with Katie. “My new boss is none other than Alec fucking Hardy.”

“Should I call in a favour?” Jim asked. 

“No, no, it’s fine,” she sighed.

“Are you going to tell him?” he asked after a moment of silence.

“Tell him what? ‘Oh, hey, I know we haven’t seen each other in a couple of years, but I have a daughter now and she’s yours’?” she scoffed. “How would I even begin to deal with that?” 

“Sounds to me like you’re more afraid of trying to bring him into Katie’s life,” he observed. 

“I fucking hate it when you analyse me like that, Jim,” she muttered. 

“Get used to it, Lizzie,” he replied. She rolled her eyes, not that he could see her. 

“How was she this morning?” she asked, changing the subject.

“Pissed off, mostly. Hence why Seb took her out for a little while,” he replied. Her watch chimed then, reminding her that her break was almost over. 

“Shit,” she muttered. “I’ve got to get back to work. Hug Katie for me, will you?” 

“Sure thing, Lizzie dear,” he said. With a lighthearted groan, Elisabeth hung up, slipping her phone back into her pocket before going back to her desk. 


End file.
